Allie Kassraie, LGPC
Therapist
Allie Kassraie, LGPCGender-Affirming Trauma Therapist, Couples Counselor and Music Therapist
"Therapy does not have to be rushed or forced" — together we explore things at a pace that feels respectful and grounding for you.
Book a 30-minute consultation call
Issues Allie helps with
Who they work with
Allie works with individuals navigating trauma, identity exploration, relationship challenges, and major life transitions through a gender-affirming, trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens. They have a special interest in supporting LGBTQIA+ clients, neurodivergent individuals, college students, and anyone exploring identity, belonging and self-understanding. They’re especially attentive to how trauma affects safety, trust and the nervous system, and work at a pace that feels supportive rather than rushed.
Allie also works with LGBTQIA+ couples navigating communication difficulties, recurring conflict, disconnection, trust, and the ways identity can shape a relationship. They support partners navigating coming out, gender exploration or transition, differing levels of family acceptance, and cultural or faith-based expectations.
How they work
Allie brings a creative, individualized approach shaped in part by their background in music therapy. Their approach draws on attachment-based, cognitive-behavioral, feminist and psychodynamic frameworks depending on what a client needs. The work is collaborative and warm by design: Allie’s aim is a space where clients feel safe enough to show up as their full selves, and where change happens through curiosity and compassion rather than pressure.
With couples, Allie offers a warm, affirming space where both partners can bring their full selves to the work. They help couples understand the patterns that leave them feeling disconnected and develop more connected, responsive ways of relating to one another.
"Therapy does not have to be rushed or forced" — together we explore things at a pace that feels respectful and grounding for you.
Training & Credentials
Master’s degree in Counseling, Northwestern University
Bachelor’s degree in Music Therapy, Shenandoah University — recipient of the Music Therapy Professionalism Award
Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor — Washington, DC
Resident in Counseling, Virginia
What a first session is like
After your free 30-minute consultation, if it feels like the right fit, you will schedule your first full 50–55-minute session.
For individual therapy, the first few sessions are a chance to begin developing a fuller, more holistic understanding of what you are facing now. Allie will learn about your history, when the current concerns began or became more difficult, what has shaped them, and what you have already tried. Together, you will start to make sense of the larger context around your experiences and identify where the work can begin.
For couples, the first full session focuses on understanding your relationship, the concerns that brought you in, and the pattern that may be keeping you stuck. Each partner then has an individual intake session with Allie, giving them the opportunity to understand each person’s history and perspective. Ongoing sessions are generally held together as a couple.
If that sounds like what you are looking for, book a 30-minute consultation call with Allie.
Questions people ask Allie
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Yes. Allie is in network with CareFirst, BCBS, and Anthem plans. Coverage and copays can vary by plan. We are happy to help you understand your insurance benefits and the next steps when you reach out.
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Yes. Allie works with college students, young adults, and professionals navigating the particular pressures of this stage of life: academic or career stress, burnout, anxiety, identity development, changing relationships, uncertainty about the future, and the challenge of figuring out who you are outside of others’ expectations. Therapy can be a space to slow down, make sense of what feels difficult, and move forward with greater clarity and self-trust.
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Yes. Allie works with LGBTQIA+ couples navigating communication difficulties, recurring conflict, disconnection, trust, intimacy, and the impact that identity can have on a relationship. This may include coming out, gender exploration or transition, differing levels of family acceptance, navigating cultural or faith-based expectations, and finding ways to feel more understood and supported by one another.
Allie offers a warm, affirming space where both partners can bring their full selves to the work. Together, you will explore what is happening in the relationship and build more connected, responsive ways of relating.
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Music therapy is part of Allie’s background and shapes their creative, attuned approach to therapy, but music is never required in sessions. Some clients find that music, creative expression, or mindful listening helps them access emotions that are difficult to put into words; others prefer to work through conversation alone. Therapy will be shaped around what feels most helpful and comfortable for you.
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Yes. Anxiety, burnout, and feeling overwhelmed can show up as constant overthinking, pressure to keep up, trouble resting, feeling disconnected from yourself or others, or not knowing where to begin. Allie helps clients explore what is contributing to those feelings and develop a more sustainable, compassionate way of responding to themselves and their lives.
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Absolutely. Family, culture, faith, and community can be important sources of meaning and connection while also making it feel complicated or unsafe to fully express parts of yourself. Allie offers a culturally responsive, LGBTQIA+-affirming space to explore these experiences with care, without asking you to reject the people, values, or communities that matter to you.
What you share in therapy is confidential, with limited exceptions required by law or necessary to help keep you or someone else safe. Allie will review confidentiality and its limits with you at the beginning of your work together. -
Yes. Allie creates a safe, affirming space to explore questions around sexuality, gender, identity, belonging, and self-understanding at a pace that feels supportive to you. They are here to support you through the uncertainty, vulnerability, relief, or many other feelings that this process may bring up. Allie also helps clients make space for their internal thoughts and emotions, as well as the impact of any external pressures, internalized biases or expectations they may be making you feel disconeected from yourself and dettering you in exploring this part of yourself.
Book a free 30-minute consultation call
No waitlists and no phone tag. Pick a time that suits you, and Allie will call.
